In brief, the salvation of the soul
(soul-salvation) as seen in various passages throughout the New
Testament (Matthew 16:26,
27; Romans 8:13; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Hebrews
10:35-39; 1 Peter 1:3-9; James 1:21; 5:20),
an aspect of salvation distinct from salvation of the spirit
(spirit-salvation; John 3:5-7;
16-18; Acts 16:30, 31; Ephesians 2:8,
9) and the eventual salvation of the body (Romans
8:23; 1 Corinthians
15:51-57), which distinctions are purposely and rigidly
maintained by the Holy Spirit throughout the Word, embodies the
following characteristics: (1) It involves only the soul-component
of a person, as opposed to his spirit and body (1
Thessalonians 5:23;
Hebrews 4:12); the soul being his life now
(sanctification) and, specifically, its relevance (i.e., rewards or
lack thereof [suffering]) to the millennial kingdom — the rule and
reign over the earth by Christ for one thousand years to be
established at His Second Advent; (2) Although soul-salvation, like
spirit-salvation, is based on (made possible by) Christ’s sacrifice
on the cross, it may be secured only after a person comes to
the cross — placing one’s faith alone in Christ alone for one’s
personal and eternal salvation, which is spirit-salvation; (3)
Whereas spirit-salvation is a past, completed act (a
one-time act of the will when a person places his faith in Christ)
that results in a secured (guaranteed) eternal possession;
soul-salvation is a present, continuous process that,
when and if completed successfully, results in a future,
inherited possession; (4) Whereas spirit-salvation is a
free gift totally apart from any works by man, soul-salvation is
obtained by the production of divine good-works — perseverance in
faithfulness and bearing the fruit of the Spirit by (through) the
person himself; (5) Whereas spirit-salvation is totally the work of
the Holy Spirit, soul-salvation is a shared work between the Holy
Spirit and the person who has passed from death to life
through faith in Christ; (6) Whereas spirit-salvation involves only
the judgment of sin in the person of Christ on the cross at Calvary,
soul-salvation involves the judgment of the believer (his temporal
life of faithfulness or lack thereof) at the Judgment Seat of
Christ; and (7) Whereas spirit-salvation has eternal verities in
view, soul-salvation has millennial verities in view.

More detailed information regarding
soul-salvation is contained in the following commentaries:

For by grace you have been saved
through faith, and that
not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works,
lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8, 9)

For the message of the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1
Corinthians 1:18)

Are they
[angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for
those who will inherit [lit.“for the sake of the ones
about to inherit”] salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)

Salvation in the Word of God is spoken of in
three tenses — past, present,and future:
(1) Christians have been saved, (2) Christians are
being saved, and (3) Christians are about to be saved.
The previously quoted verses provide examples of how Scripture deals
with each of these three tenses or aspects of salvation.

In Ephesians
2:8, 9,
salvation is a past, completed act; in 1 Corinthians 1:18,
salvation is a present, continuous work; and in Hebrews 1:14, salvation is
a future, inherited possession. Since the Word of God
presents salvation in a framework of this nature, it is vitally
important in Scriptural interpretation to first ascertain to
which of these three aspects of salvation any given passage
pertains.

In the first aspect of salvation, dealt with in
Ephesians 2:8, the
words, “you have been saved,”
which is a correct translation, are a translation of two Greek words
that form, what is called in the Greek, a “periphrastic perfect.”
The “perfect” tense refers to action completed in past time,
with the results of this action extending into the present
and existing in a finished state. The “periphrastic”
construction places additional emphasis on the present, finished
state and refers to the persistent results during present
time of the past, completed work.

Salvation in this verse is wrought by grace
through faith, accomplished completely in past time, and
is the present possession of every believer. This
present possession, in turn, constitutes an active, continuing,
ever-abiding salvation. The eternal security of the believer cannot
be expressed in stronger terms than the periphrastic construction of
the perfect tense in Ephesians 2:8,
for the present results of the past action, in this case, can
only continue unchanged forever.

However, in 1
Corinthians 1:18, dealing with the second aspect of
salvation, things are presented in an entirely different light than
seen in Ephesians 2:8.
Rather than the tense in the Greek text referring to a past,
completed act, the tense refers to a present,
continuous work. The former has already been completed, but the
latter has yet to be completed.

Then, in
Hebrews 1:14, dealing with the third aspect of salvation,
matters are presented yet in a completely different light. The
wording in the Greek text of this verse refers to something that is
about to occur. Nothing is past or present; the reception of this
salvation, in its entirety, is placed in the future.

Further, the salvation referred to in Hebrews 1:14 is not only
to be realized in the future, but it is also an inherited
salvation. And the thought of inheritance further
distinguishes the salvation in this verse from the salvation
previously seen in Ephesians 2:8,
for the salvation that Christians presently possess is not an
inherited salvation.

Rather, our present salvation was obtained as
a free gift during the time we were alienated from God. And,
as aliens (outside the family of God), we were in no position to
inherit salvation, for inheritance in Scripture is always a
family matter.

In the Old Testament, “sons” were first in line
to receive the inheritance, with “daughters” next. If there were no
sons or daughters in the immediate family, the inheritance was
passed on to the nearest family member or members, designated by the
law of inheritance (Numbers
27:8-11).

Consequently, an individual must first be a
family member before he can be considered for the inheritance,
which, during the present dispensation, is restricted to “children”
or “sons” of the Owner. That’s why the statement is made in Romans 8:17, “If
children, then heirs
. . . .” And that’s also why, in Hebrews 1:14, that an
inherited salvation pertains to those who have already been saved,
those who are no longer alienated from God but are presently family
members.

In this respect, the complete scope of
salvation — past, present, and future — has a
beginning point, with an end in view. It involves the Spirit of God
breathing life into the one having no life and thereby effecting the
birth from above. And this has been done with a purpose, with an
end in view. This has been done so that the Spirit can take the one
who now has spiritual life and perform a work in the life of that
individual, with a view to an inheritance that will be realized at
a future time.

Thus, one should immediately be able to see the
importance of proper distinctions being drawn and observed in the
realm of these three aspects of salvation. And depending on how one
approaches and deals with the different salvation passages in
Scripture, either difficulties can be avoided on the one hand
or insurmountable problems can result on the other. . . .

Now may the God of peace Himself
sanctify you completely;
and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be
preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Man is a tripartite being comprised of
spirit, soul,and body;and the
salvation of man within its complete scope (past, present, and
future) pertains to the salvation of man with respect to his
complete being. In the study of Scripture it is revealed that
each of these three parts of man is subject to salvation at
different times. Thus, to understand salvation in its complete
scope, one must first understand certain things about man’s
tripartite nature. Then, salvation in relation to this tripartite
nature becomes the issue. . . .

The salvation of the soul,on the
other hand, should never be associated with the past aspect
of salvation. Scripture carefully distinguishes between the soul
and the spirit, never using the words interchangeably in
this respect (cf.1
Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12). And Scripture
also carefully distinguishes between salvation in relation to the
spirit and salvation in relation to the soul. Salvation
in relation to the spirit is always dealt with in a past
sense, but not so with the salvation of the soul.
Rather, the salvation of the soul is always dealt with in
a future sense:

Receiving the end of your faith — the
salvation of your souls. (1
Peter 1:9)

Therefore lay aside all filthiness
and overflow of wickedness,
and receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able
to save your souls. (James 1:21)

But we are not of those who draw back
to perdition, but of
those who believe [are faithful] to the saving of the soul.
(Hebrews 10:39)

The statements and exhortations in these verses
pertain to Christians alone — those whose spirits have
already been saved and whose souls are in the process of
being saved, with the salvation of the soul being realized only at
a future time. . . .

The Greek word translated “soul” throughout the
New Testament is psuche.This word has to do with
“the natural life” of the individual. The soul is the seat of a
person’s emotions, feelings, and desires pertaining to his
man-conscious existence.

The Greek word translated “natural” in 1 Corinthians 2:14 is
psuchikos,a form of the word psuche.
Psuchikos is the “natural” or “soulical” life (self-life) that
man has in common with the animal kingdom. The soulical man is
dominated or ruled by his soul, which includes all the experiences,
desires, emotions, sensations, likes, and dislikes within the
personal life of the individual. Such likes, dislikes, etc. will
vary from individual to individual, but all emanate from the
soul-life of man. The soulical man is alienated from God and thus
possesses no way to grasp spiritual truth. A man must be born
from above — made alive spiritually — before he can possess
spiritual discernment. . . .

Faith and works appear together in James chapter tworelative to teachings
surrounding the salvation of the soul, introduced in the
preceding chapter (vv. 21-25).
And this is the place where numerous individuals invariably go wrong
when studying the epistle. They seek to relate both faith and works
to the salvation that Christians presently possess. And, doing
this, the end result is always the same: (1) a non-biblical teaching
relative to salvation by grace, and (2) a corruption of the true
message in James.

The relationship between faith and works in James (or other
corresponding parts of Scripture [e.g.,
1 Corinthians 3:12-15; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrews 11:4ff])
has nothing to do with the salvation that we presently
possess. Eternal salvation, the present possession of every
believer, is wrought by grace through faith, completely apart
from works.

An unredeemed person cannot perform works to be
saved, and a redeemed person cannot perform works to either stay
saved or to show that he has been saved. The necessity of the
complete absence of works in relation to one’s eternal salvation
is just as applicable following the time one is saved as it
is prior to the time one is saved. Works cannot enter in
at all,else salvation would cease to be by grace through
faith (Romans 11:6).

James in his epistle, teaching a justification
on the basis of works, does not deny that man is justified by grace
through faith, apart from works. To the contrary, James
acknowledges this fact (1:17,
18), and the entire message of his epistle is built
upon this fact. And, in keeping with this fact, justification by
works in James cannot
enter in until man has first been justified by grace through
faith. Then,and only then,can works
appear.

This is the way in which the matter is handled
at any point in Scripture where faith and works are dealt with after
this fashion. This has to be the case because neither the unsaved
nor the saved can produce works in this realm. The unsaved person
can’t produce works of this nature, for he is spiritually dead; and
the saved person can’t produce works of this nature, for works would
have entered into an area where works cannot exist. From a biblical
standpoint, man’s works simply cannot enter where eternal salvation
is involved.

(Works surrounding eternal salvation
can enter only as they pertain to Christ’s finished work at
Calvary, or to the Spirit’s work of breathing life into the one
having no life [on the basis of Christ’s finished work].
Unregenerate man, “dead in trespasses and sins” [Ephesians
2:1], cannot act in the spiritual realm. Divine
intervention alone can and must occur [Ephesians 2:5].) .
. . .

The importance of feasting on the Manna from
heaven cannot be overemphasized. A Christian must receive “the
implanted Word [Neshamah]” or he cannot realize
the salvation of his soul. The reason is very simple: Apart from
the reception of this Word there can be no spiritual growth to
maturity. And without spiritual growth, wrought through a continued
inbreathing of “life” into man, there can be no movement of the
spiritual man, producing “works” emanating from “a living” faith.

The race will have been run in no certain
manner, with no fixed goal, as one beating the air. And, as
revealed in 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:11, a race run in this manner will
result in the individual being disapproved,for he
will have been overcome and thus overthrown in the
wilderness.

Accordingly, such an individual at the judgment
seat of Christ will have his works tried, with a view to approval;
but these works will be shown to be “dead [barren]” works, emanating from unfaithfulness,
producing nothing but “wood,
hay, and straw.” These will all be burned in
the fire, leaving the individual in the position, “saved
[salvation of his spirit];
yet so as through fire” (1
Corinthians 3:12-15). His works will be disapproved;and works of this nature will have failed to bring faith to its
proper goal. Consequently, the individual’s faith will also be
disapproved,and he will “suffer
loss” — the loss of his soul.

The book of
James has long been an enigma to Bible commentators as
well as teachers. Trying to reconcile justification by works,
according to the epistle of James,
with justification by faith, according to the epistle to the Romans, has left more than
one Bible student hopelessly perplexed. Martin Luther, in seeking
to emphasize justification by faith, declared the epistle of James to be “an epistle of
straw” and said that it had no place in the canon of Scripture.

“So then,
my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man
does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore lay
aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive
with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your
souls. But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves” (James
1:19-22). Here we see that there is a connection between
the saving of the soul and the doing of the Word. Because of a
failure to distinguish between body, soul, and spirit, there is
utter confusion in attempts to interpret scriptures dealing with the
salvation of the soul. The salvation of the spirit has to do with
eternal life as a gift of God. The salvation of the soul has to do
with the life of a Christian from the day of his salvation until the
end of the time of his responsibility (which terminates either in
death or the rapture), which life results in rewards or loss of
rewards — to be manifested during the coming reign of our Lord over
the earth for a thousand years.

I believe the key to the book of James lies in the
expression “salvation of the soul”
(James 1:21) and “saving
a soul from death” (James
5:19, 20).
James is expounding upon the life one lives after he is saved, and
such a life is dependent upon good works if one is to receive
rewards. “For what profit is it
to a man if he gains the whole world,
and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in
exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the
glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward
each according to his works” (Matthew
16:26, 27).
Paul in Romans is
treating eternal life, which is a believer’s present possession by
virtue of his faith apart from works. “But
to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the
ungodly, his faith is
accounted for righteousness” (Romans
4:5).

“Not everyone
who says to Me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who
does the will of My Father in heaven.” Here in Matthew 7:21, occupying a
position of sovereignty in the kingdom of the heavens (the
millennial reign of the Lord over the earth) is dependent upon doing
the will of the Father after one has been saved. To call Jesus “Lord,
Lord” is impossible except one has the Spirit of the
Lord indwelling him (1 Corinthians
12:3). Therefore, we know that the ones to whom the Lord
addresses Himself in Matthew 7:21
are saved. But having eternal life does not guarantee one a place
of sovereignty in the kingdom of our Lord, that being granted only
to those who do the will of the Father.

In James chapter one, verses 21 and 22, it says that it is not
sufficient to be a hearer of the Word (have eternal life), but one
must also be a doer of the Word (possess good works) if he is to
save his soul, that is, if he is to save his life as a Christian and
have rewards that will be manifested at the appearing of our Lord
and will prevail during His reign. When one is a hearer of the
Word, he becomes a Christian. “Faith
comes by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God” (Romans
10:17). Good works come from doing and these good works
earn the doers commensurate rewards. In the light of 1 Corinthians 3:14,
15 we learn that it is possible for one to be saved,
to be a possessor of eternal life that can never be lost, and yet
have no good works to his credit.

Throughout the New
Testament the expression “salvation of the soul” has to do entirely
with the saving of the life of a Christian so that he will not
appear before the Lord empty handed and have all his works destroyed
by fire, though he himself shall have eternal life and shall never
perish. “And I give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them
out of My hand” (John
10:28).

I believe that once
an individual sees that Romans
treats of the salvation of the spirit (which has to do with eternal
life) and that James
treats of the salvation of the soul (Which has to do with Christian
living and subsequent rewards), such a one will not try to reconcile
the books of Romans and
Jamesas meaning the same thing but will accept the fact that they
treat of different subjects entirely and there is no conflict at
all.

For the message of the cross is
foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1
Corinthians 1:18)

According to the
Greek text, the last part of this verse must be translated “but
to us who arebeing
saved it is the power of God.”

With this
understanding we are introduced to a new kind of salvation that
operates in the present continuous tense. Unlike the
completed past tense salvation, this salvation reveals to us a
present and continuous work (not yet completed) that begins in our
lives at the moment our spirits are saved and continues in a present
tense until it ends at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The Scriptures
call this salvation, the “salvation of the soul”(1
Peter 1:9). And since the words “soul” and “life” in the
New Testament are translated from the same Greek word “psuche,”
this salvation, is also known as the “salvation of the

life.” Moreover, this present continuous salvation of
the soul has nothing to do with eternal life, as past tense
salvation does, but rather the saving of a believer into the
millennial kingdom of Christ. If a believer lives for himself here
(gains his soul), he will lose it there (at the Judgment Seat of
Christ). If he loses it here for Christ’s sake, he will gain it
there.

To further
understand this, the Scriptures speak of the soul or life of man in
three aspects. (1) The life principle of the body (Leviticus
17:11). (2) The life essence of man, with or without his
body, with all his normal faculties (Luke
16:22-23, Revelation
6:9-11). (3) The life quality of man either in this
present life or the life to come (James
1:21).

It is this third
aspect or the “life quality of man” that is in view when the
Scriptures speak of the salvation of the soul. One who loses
his soul at the Judgment Seat of Christ loses his future quality of
life. He will either have eternal life with rewards, or he will
have eternal life without rewards. He will either be chosen to rule
and reign with Christ in His coming kingdom, or be excluded from
that kingdom. . . .

Salvation of the
soul then, is dependent on the quality of life a believer
chooses while on earth. If he allows his old nature to rule his
life, he will produce works of wood, hay, and stubble. These will
be burned up at the Judgment Seat of Christ, with the results being
the loss of his soul (future life quality [in the millennium]
without rewards). If however, through the Word of God, he permits
his new nature (the Holy Spirit in him) to rule over his life, he
will produce works of gold, silver, and precious stones (1
Corinthians3:11-15). Since these works cannot be burned
up, the results of this testing will be the saving of his soul
(future life quality [in the millennium] with rewards).

When one fails to
learn the difference between the new birth (salvation of the spirit)
and life in the coming kingdom (salvation of the soul), he will
become confused over many passages of Scripture that speak of these
two salvations. . . .

Therefore, the term “salvation” in its full
context means not only receiving God’s Life in our
spirits, but also renewing every part of our soul and body as
well. This takes time and effort.

The first step in salvation (justification)
gives us peace and satisfaction and joy. The second step in the
process of full salvation (the sanctification of our soul)
gives us the power to overcome sin and self, receive personal
deliverance from the enemy and the freedom to walk in God’s way.
Many Christians, however, take only the first step (justification).
Like the Israelites, they only put the blood on the doorposts of
their house (Exodus 12:22),
but they forget to purge the leaven from their lives
(sanctification). They trust God for the salvation of their
spirits, but they fail to declare war on their flesh. Consequently,
they prevent the power of God from doing the work of sanctification
in their lives.

Complete salvation is not only believing in
the Lord, it also includes walking with the Lord,
overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil and enduring
to the end. Again, a lifelong process. First, we are
saved (in our spirit) from the penalty of sin;
next, we are saved (in our soul) from the power
of sin, and finally, we are saved (in our body)
from the presence of sin. Our spirit is saved by God at the
time of our new birth; our body is redeemed by God at the time of
the rapture and translation; but the salvation (or the
transformation) of our soul by the Holy Spirit is dependent
upon and determined by the individual himself.